Who Will Be The First Kicker Taken In NFL Draft?
The 2024 National Football League Draft is nearly here as many standout college athletes await to hear their names called in under two months. The NFL Draft, which takes place from April 25th through April 27th at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, is one of the most exciting days in sports. Over 250 prospects will be drafted into the league starting with the first-overall selection, which belongs to the Chicago Bears via trade with the Carolina Panthers.
There are so many big names entering the draft such as LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. But no one is talking about which kicker will go first.
Drafting A Kicker Is More Important Than You Think.
While drafting a kicker is rare and many do not see it as a big deal, it is important to remember that seasons are decided off kickers. For example, last year's draft featured two kickers who played a role in their team's fate. Packers kicker Anders Carlson, brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Auburn.
He missed a 41-yard field goal in the Divisional Round against the 49ers which would have given Green Bay a seven-point lead but ended up costing the team's hopes of winning in the 24-21 loss.
But it is also important to scout kickers so even if the team does not draft one, they can add a kicker that went undrafted, such as future Hall-Of-Famer Justin Tucker, who was undrafted in 2012 but signed by the Ravens and has been one of the best kickers in history. So who will be the first kicker taken in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Who Could Be The First Kicker Taken?
Will that first kicker taken be Arkansas' Cam Little? The 20-year-old, who is ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr's top kicking prospect, completed 82.8% of his field goal attempts in his Razorback career. With a career-long of 56 yards, he has never missed a field goal below 30 yards and has been spectacular in kicking extra points. He is a perfect 129 for 129 kicking extra points at Arkansas.
Could Joshua Karty be the first kicker drafted in April? The Stanford Cardinal was a two-time First-Team All-American in 2022 and 2023. He was a remarkable 18 for 18 on field goal attempts and converted 42/43 kicking attempts in the 2022 college football season. While he was 23 for 27 on field goal attempts in 2023, he was perfect on extra points and had a few game-winning kicks.
One more kicker who could hear his name called first is Alabama's Will Reichard. The all-time NCAA Division One FBS scoring leader, he played for the Crimson Tide from 2019-2023 and made 84% of his field goal attempts in his career. Playing on one of the best offenses in the country, he only missed two extra points in his career. He also has over eight 50+ yard field goals made.
Who will be the first kicker taken in this year's draft? Most likely it would be one of these three outstanding men who have earned a chance to hear their name called in April. I would guess Cam Little will be called first as he has been the highest kicker on most draft boards. Now how high is a good question, as not many kickers go before Day 3. But it has happened before and could happen again.
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